A New Beginning

Preparations

     "Well, we have to plan!" Mrs. Weasley exclaimed. "We'd be glad to do it here," said Mr. Weasley in a calmer voice. Harry tried to think of a good place to set up the wedding, of course, Bill and Fleur had been married right in their backyard and that was always an option but he wanted something a little bit more special. "Well you two go think of some options and we will try and rustle up some decorations," said Mrs. Weasley, shooing them away. "I was wondering why you insisted on saving Ron and Hermione's decorations, now I see why," Ginny said. While they were sitting in Ginny's room Hermione knocked on the door. "Hey guys, could I maybe just talk to Harry alone for a little bit?" she asked. Ginny agreed and went downstairs to help Mrs. Weasley prepare for the wedding. Hermione had a concerned yet happy look on her face. "Harry, marriage isn't easy, you have to plan out everything. Weddings are a big thing and they're not easy to plan, you need five groomsmen and five bridesmaids, and a maid of honor and a best man. Harry, I know that you are well respected by witches and wizards around the world but you can't just invite everyone you've locked eyes with because more guests mean more food and more food means more money." What Hermione was saying made sense to Harry but it also worried him, he knew he loved Ginny but Hermione made marriage seem scary. Harry longed to be back in his sixth year at Hogwarts when he and Ginny spent hours just wandering the grounds and forgetting about everything except for quidditch and the occasional exam. That night Harry was back staying in Ginny's room and he overheard a conversation between Mr. and Mrs. Weasly, "They're so young, Ginny is only nineteen and they're already sharing a bed, we didn't get married until we were in our mid-twenties." The fact that even Mrs. Weasley didn't think they were ready but then Ginny rolled over onto her side and whispered into his ear, "I can't believe I get to marry you." And Harry knew he was ready. The next morning Harry, Ginny, Ron, and Hermione sat down to figure out the guest list that consisted of some of their friends from Hogwarts, Harry's co-workers at the Ministry, Ginny's quidditch teammates, several of the Weasley's extended family, some of the Hogwarts professors and of course, Harry's cousin Dudley. In total there were 150 people invited and Harry was going to make sure that he covered a large amount of the cost since he had inherited so much money. Hermione wrote out the complete list on a piece of parchment and brought it down to Mrs. Weasley. That night they chose a date in late September when the weather would be perfect. Hermione came back up with a to-do list for the preparations. "First on the list is location," said Hermione in an assertive manner. "Well," said Ginny. "Harry and I haven't discussed it but I'd like to get married here, how Bill and Fleur did." "I like it," agreed Harry. "Okay," said Hermione, checking that off the list. "So the next thing on the list is food and drinks," said Hermione. "Well my mum always insists on cooking for every big event and she did for all of our weddings so I think she'll want to cook for your wedding," Ron pointed out. "Makes sense," Hermione agreed. "Now we need to decide on what we're all wearing," Ginny said, taking the list from Hermione. "I'd like the bridesmaids to be in a deep blue color," said Ginny. "Well, then I'd like all the groomsmen to be dressed in dark blue dress robes as well," said Harry. "Well then Harry should wear white dress robes with dark blue trim and Ginny should wear a white dress, obviously, but dark blue heels," Hermione said, obviously trying to move the process along. "Here's the thing, I've never worn heels," Ginny said nervously. "If you can fly a broom, professionally, you can wear heels, it's all about balance," Hermione reassured her. "Now it's only a matter of gifts, Harry you've already inherited a house that's fully furnished so what else do you want?" Hermione asked. "Well some new dishes would be nice, but there's not much else, maybe just something to surprise us," Harry said, confidently. "That's it then," Hermione exclaimed, obviously excited to be done and to start shopping.